


luck onto

by ElasticElla



Category: Luke Cage (TV)
Genre: (canon boss/employee), Multi, Post-Season/Series 01, Power Imbalance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-10-06 04:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10325930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElasticElla/pseuds/ElasticElla
Summary: Alex has always been good at finding things, finding people. Not so much at keeping either in his sights apparently, but he has the important bit down.





	

**Author's Note:**

> as always, fancasting shades as laz alonso

Alex has always been good at finding things, finding people. Not so much at keeping either in his sights apparently, but he has the important bit down. 

Bobby Fish has the files he came for. The man looks delighted, and there's no doubt those are the files on Luke Cage. He waits and waits and waits as the man cleans up a bit, drinks a bit, reads a bit. And then, as if God himself ordained it, Bobby leaves the files out when he goes to the bathroom. 

Alex has always had a decent bit of luck. 

He brings them to Mariah's home, knows they need to be secure as soon as possible- and out of his responsibility. While he doesn't _think_ Mariah would hurt him, that he knows too much and is too useful… he'd rather not test that theory. 

Alex knocks once, and the door slowly swings open, an anxious twist in his stomach. He doesn’t carry any weapons, never thought about it when he was just Madam Councilwoman’s assistant. Now- now a door is open, and he’s worried he’s going to find someone in a pool of blood. That he’ll only have minutes until the police come, minutes to evaluate the best story that keeps his hands clean. 

_Why weren’t you there?_  
_Well, I was stealing some files on the city’s bulletproof vigilante-_

There’s a sound coming from the living room, a pained moan, and Alex rushes in, trying to recall his eighth grade health class. 

Only, it isn’t a pained moan, and even in the dim light he can see Mariah and Shades wrapped up in each other. Alex looks down, clears his throat, but Mariah’s bare feet catch his attention. In some part of his mind, he _knows_ Mariah isn’t tall, has never needed height to intimidate or capture attention- but he never thought about her feet, about any part of her being small. 

Her teeth flash, “What do you have for me Alex?” 

Shades murmurs something, too soft for him to hear and Alex brings the file forward, neck burning. “I got the file back.” 

“Good boy,” Mariah breathes as she flips through it, sending his stomach spinning. It falls to the coffee table with a heavy thunk, and Alex instinctively takes a half-step back. He’d been in her home late before of course, but never when she had a lover, boyfriend?- someone else here with her. He shouldn’t be here, is waiting on his imminent dismissal.

Mariah smiles, crooks her finger, “Come here Alex.” 

Shades stands behind her, hands at her waist, and Alex knows he won’t find help nor an explanation there. He comes closer, steps loud in the otherwise silent house. 

“Yes ma’am?” he says, automatically, wants to slap a hand over his mouth. 

But her smile doesn’t fade, a new mirth entering it. “It’s late Alex, call me Mariah.” 

He swallows thickly, the name caught in his throat and Shades is nuzzling her neck. 

“You can leave Alex,” she says with a measured pause. “Or you can stay. What do you want?”

He feels frozen, his mind spiraling with sudden possibilities. Mariah’s fingers snap him out of it, warm on his cheek. 

“Tell me,” she demands, the same exact voice she used when she was interviewing him for the position. _Tell me why this job should be yours._

And Alex has wanted since it all began, before and after her transformation. The question isn’t what he wants, but if he’s willing to take the final step. A question he answered days ago, when he decided he wasn’t a loose thread and was willing to hold the scissors over Candace. 

“I want to stay, Mariah.” 

Her mouth curls higher, fingernails lightly scrape down his cheek. “Good boy,” she echoes, and Alex can’t breathe. Her kiss is biting and soft at once, brings air back into his lungs with a sudden rush.


End file.
